Steeleye Span (Official Thread)

[Martha Washington]

Ashley Hutchings Website
Unofficial Website
Wikipedia

back when I was a younger and slimmer Martha my radio had a lot of commercials. As much of a drag as commercials are, sometimes they help you find stuff you like. It was MY good fortune to hear an old favorite "One Misty Moisty Morning" that I knew sort of as a nursery rhyme sort of thing - well I heard it on a commercial in this rollicking arrangement and my ears just jumped for joy! This was the first time I heard Steeleye Span, when their wonderful "Parcel of Rogues" was new.



I think they made several wonderful albums and had a splendid way of rocking out while maintaining a very folksy, whimsical sort of air.

Current members
Maddy Prior – vocals (1969-1978, 1980-1997, 2002-present)
Peter Knight – strings, keyboards, guitars, vocals (1971-1977, 1980–present)
Rick Kemp – bass, drums, vocals (1972-1978, 1980-1986, 1995, 2000-present)
Liam Genockey – drums, percussion (1989-1997, 2002–present)
Pete Zorn – guitars (2009–present)
Julian Litman – guitars (2010–present)


Discography:

Hark! The Village Wait (1970)
Please to See the King (1971)
Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again (1971)
Below the Salt (1972)
Parcel of Rogues (1973)
Now We Are Six (1974)
Commoners Crown (1975)
All Around My Hat (1975)
Rocket Cottage (1976)
Storm Force Ten (1977)
Sails of Silver (1980)
Back in Line (1986)
Tempted and Tried (1989)
Time (1996)
Horkstow Grange (1998)
Bedlam Born (2000)
Present--The Very Best of Steeleye Span (2002)
They Called Her Babylon (2004)
Winter (2004)
Bloody Men (2006)
Cogs, Wheels and Lovers (2009)


any other fans of this splendid band?

 

[snorkmaiden]

Re: Steleye Span

Well Dang it you bet me to it Martha!!

Steeleye span was one of many great and happily freaky bands I grew up listening to. My dad used to like to scare me with 'Long Lankin' and it worked. I remember sitting on the couch under a blanket, terrified during this song aged about 7 or 8. But still asking him to play it again. As with many albums I listened to in chilhood, I remember the whole atmosphere of the place changed when Dad put on Steelye Span. It was like I got transported to medieval England as soon as it went on. I still feel this to some degree when I listen too it now although my imagination is no where near now what it was like then. Thesedays I have lost access to the great Span collection of my Dad (he is very anal about his records) all I have to listen to is a 'best of' I found in a bargain bin, and a mix tape of my favs I made when I was still living at home (only with dad's permission of course). But one day- I think to myself- when that old bugger is dead (hopefully a long long time from now), I will get to listen to all those records again.

 

[pooldude]

Re: Steleye Span

I vaguely remember catching the English group Steeleye Span @ the Fillmore around late '69, but they were a little subdued for my taste.

I was more a fan of Fairport Convention, who had a much harder rocking approach to traditional folk & early English music.

I saw Fairport Convention with a young Richard Thompson in San Diego around '71 or early '72...they might have been opening for Traffic around the time of the "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" tour...I seem to remember them playing 4 piece, with the chick singer gone.

But I really got into their high energy rocking renditions of ancient folk melodies, & was very impressed with their live performance.

 

[Sweaty]

Re: Steleye Span

Very good band, seen them a few times, great voice that Maddy Prior, I love them, just got a great compilation of their early albums on double CD for under a fiver!!

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Steleye Span

Many years ago, when we were all still in the age of the venerable LP, I bought a two-disc compilation of theirs called Original Masters. There were a lot of songs on it I absolutely loved, but also about as many that I didn't care for. Consequently I didn't dig any further into them.

Some of my favorites were:

A Calling On Song


The King


Gaudete (which, BTW, the Mediæval Bæbes do a fantastic version of)


And my very favorites:

All Around My Hat


Hard Times of Old England

 

[Fug]

Re: Steeleye Span

My fave Steeleye Span album is, Now We Are Six. This set had as it's "production consultant" none other than Ian Anderson, and it shows. It's a fine album.

 

[jeffrey]

Re: Steeleye Span

Interesting band and one well worth exploring. Their first album, Hark! The Village Wait, was recorded by a lineup that never toured as they broke up shortly after the recording of the album.
So from wikipedia, here are some interesting facts Steeleye Span - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Still reckon that Hark! The Village Wait was one of their best as it was as much of a ground breaking album as Liege And Lief was for Fairport Convention. Issued originally in June 1970 here in the UK

Side 1
1 A Calling-On Song (1:13)
2 The Blacksmith (3:41)
3 Fisherman's Wife (3:12)
4 The Blackleg Miner (2:46)
5 The Dark-Eyed Sailor (5:59)
6 Copshawholme Fair (2:35)

Side 2
1 All Things Are Quite Silent (2:38)
2 The Hills of Greenmore (4:02)
3 My Johnny Was a Shoemaker (1:11)
4 Lowlands of Holland (6:00)
5 Twa Corbies (2:06)
6 One Night As I Lay on My Bed (3:30)

Tim Hart, electric guitar, 5-string banjo, electric dulcimer, harmonium, fiddle, vocals;
Ashley Hutchings, electric bass;
Maddy Prior, vocals;
Gay Woods, vocals, autoharp, concertina, bodhrán;
Terry Woods, mandola, mandolin, 5-string banjo, electric guitar, vocals;
Gerry Conway, drums on [2,3,5,6,7,8];
Dave Mattacks, drums on [4,10,11,12]

It got a reissue at some point with a different cover but it was the same track listing



Wouldn't call it folk rock, more folk with a dash of electric instruments. Does that make sense?

 

[Craig in Indy]

Re: Steeleye Span

Wouldn't call it folk rock, more folk with a dash of electric instruments. Does that make sense?

I think that's a pretty accurate description.

 

[Sweaty]

Re: Steeleye Span

Some great music from them over the years I have seen them a couple of times now and they still sound fantastic.

I have an Ashley Hutchings album too:

"Along the downs"

 

[LG]

Re: Steeleye Span

^^Picked up a Box set of 5 of their albums a couple of months ago, but haven't played any of them yet.